Unfinished Business
by CAellafan
Summary: After the war, Hermione needs just one person to help her move on with her life. she feels a pull towards Severus Snape, but can't explain it. Can she save the broken man, or are they destined to be miserable halves of a whole?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters.

Hermione sighed, putting the returned envelope on top of the stack of others just like it. She just didn't understand why he wouldn't read her letters or answer back. It was 5 months after the war and everybody had managed to move on, except her.

Harry and Ginny were still happily together and Harry had just told Hermione that he planned on proposing to Ginny on her birthday in two weeks. Shortly after the war Ron and Hermione realized that they were better off as friends only and he had moved on and found an American girlfriend and seemed quite content with her. Apparently he asked her to talk about whatever all the time, just so he could listen to her accent. But Hermione felt alone. Even when she got together with her friends, she felt that no one understood her. It took her about a month after the war to figure out who she needed to talk to. Severus Snape was who she wanted, no, needed to talk to.

Thankfully, being the potions master he is, Snape knew that there could very well be a day when he was on the receiving end of Nagini's bite. So, he concocted a potion of sorts many years ago containing her venom and began taking it in small doses to help build up an immunity to it. And when the Dark Lord set Nagini on Snape in the boathouse, the bites hurt, and the venom was paralyzing, but they were not fatal. He was nursed back to full health slowly but surely in the following weeks.

When Hermione worked up her courage to send a letter to her intimidating ex-professor, she sent it to Hogwarts assuming that he was still there. She was disappointed a few days later when she got a reply from Minerva saying he took a year off for his health. So, she sent the letter to Spinners End and got it back the next day with no reply, the letter not even being opened. And so began their silent battle.

In total Hermione sent 5 letters that went unanswered before she got so mad, she wanted to apparate to his doorstep directly. How dare he! After all she had been through, he had been through, hell, after all everyone had been through this last year and he couldn't find the decency to reply to a simple letter. She just wanted to know if they could meet up for tea or coffee sometime. She was ready to get back on track with her life, but felt she needed to talk to him for some reason first. Therefore, the next day dawned bright and sunny and Hermione found herself traveling to Spinners End to get a direct answer from the man she remembered to be mean, dark, and lonely.

When she arrived at his house, she was surprised. It looked exactly like every other house on the street. For some reason, in her mind she had thought it would look different somehow, more sinister or brooding. But it was just a two story condo, like all the rest. Hermione knocked on the front door and looked around while waiting for him to answer. There was a small flower pot on the ground next to her with a strange, but beautiful flower in it. The center of the large flower was brilliant yellow and the petals started violet near the center and faded until they were midnight blue and the end. And it emitted an aroma so intoxicating that she would have been quite content to sit on the ground and inhale it forever if the front door had not opened at that exact moment.

"Miss Granger, what may I ask are you doing on my doorstep?" came that familiar, yet different drawl. Hermione looked up at him expecting to feel relief or a spark or something that told her this was right. But she didn't feel anything. Except slightly embarrassed that he found her crouching on his doorstep sniffing his plants. Straightening up she replied "I'm sorry, Prof-Severus for intruding like this, but you didn't answer any of my letters, and I need to talk to you." Snape looked at her for a moment before sighing and saying "Oh, I should have known you wouldn't leave me alone. Come on in then, lets get this over with." Hermione brightened despite his words, and hurried in past him before he could change his mind.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters.

Snape closed the door and took a deep breath before turning to the girl who was now seemingly awestruck at the interior of his house. _Serves her right_, he thought. _Just because I'm called the dungeon bat doesn't mean I have to live like one._ His home was spacious on the inside and had a light palate consisting of whites, beiges, and creams. Snape walked forward and led Hermione from the foyer into his extensive library. "Take a seat, Miss Granger. I'll get some tea." While the tea was brewing he contemplated why she was here of all places to see him of all people. And although he didn't want to admit it, some part of him appreciated the beautiful women she had turned out to be. _Not that she was ever ugly, but when she was at school, she was just the bushy haired know-it-all. She actually looks like a woman now…_The tea kettle starting to whistle interrupted his train of thoughts before he could follow them any further.

Hermione was ecstatic to be sitting in Snape's library. She couldn't stop thinking about how beautiful his home was, especially this room. _He must have as many books as the Hogwarts library, at least! _She started when he came back into the room and then had to bite back her laugh at the sight of her ex-potions professor carrying a tray of tea and lemon squares. He settled down opposite her on a loveseat and regarded her silently for a moment before asking what she knew was coming. "Alright, Miss Granger, I have let you into my home and served you tea, will you please tell me why you are here?"

Hermione hesitated, not knowing what to say. Before she came here she had tried to figure out what she would say, but was unable to think of a good enough reason. So she had decided, very un-Hermione-like, to wing it and see if anything comes to her when she saw him. Well, now he was sitting right in front of her waiting for an answer, and she still could think of nothing except how normal he looked. _Dressed in a black t-shirt, and black jeans he almost looks handsome, _she mused, _too bad he didn't dress like this more often, he'd probably have girls after him…_ It only took a moment for her to realize what she had just thought and by then she was blushing so hard, she was sure she looked like a tomato. Snape just raised one eyebrow and continued waiting. It took a couple tries for her to clear her throat before she began. "Well, I'm not sure exactly why I'm here either. To be honest, I just knew deep down I had to see you and talk to you. I didn't think I was going to be able to move on with my life if I didn't. So, here I am." She finished, somewhat lamely. "Partly because I needed to get away from everything, everyone asking me if I'm okay, or why I'm not talking. I just didn't want to have to explain myself anymore."

He took a couple minutes to think over what she said before getting a thought. "Well, I don't know if this would sound pleasing to you, but I find myself in need of an assistant that can keep up in conversations, and brew decent potions… do you know where I might acquire someone like that?" He let the offer sit for a moment before it dawned on her what he was asking. Hermione practically jumped out of her seat in her enthusiasm. "Oh Professor, do you really mean to ask me to be your assistant?" She crowed already dancing in place. "Miss Granger, please calm yourself. If I had not meant it, I wouldn't have asked you in the first place. Now, you may either stay here in the guest room, or you may show up every morning at seven sharp, for that is when I start working and I don't appreciate tardiness." Hermione thought for a moment and decided that the best way for her to learn more would be to stay here with him. Purely professional, of course.

"I'll stay here if you don't mind" Snape looked mildly shocked that she actually agreed to live here with him before masking his shock into a proper scowl. "You will be assisting me in brewing some of the most difficult potions you have experienced, so you will need to study hard and pay close attention, not that you have a problem with that, I'm sure." Hermione giggled a bit before replying "Please Professor, I brewed Polyjuice Potion in my second year, I think I can handle difficult."

Two hours later, Hermione was packed and moved out of her cousins house and into Snape's guest bedroom which was directly across from his room upstairs. Hermione wandered downstairs and found the kitchen just as her stomach was rumbling. "Do you want lunch before I explain to you the first potion we will be making?" Snape asked from behind her. Hermione jumped a little and turned around to find her nose to chest wit Severus Snape. She took a breath to reply and was distracted by a wonderful, and familiar scent. Breathing deeper, she leaned in a bit to discover that it was indeed coming from this man in front of her. Snape took two steps back when he saw her lean forward and close her eyes to smell him. Seeing her like that had caused a painful arousal to appear, and now he could think of nothing except escaping this strange young woman and the feelings she brought out in him.

Hermione watched him retreat to his room and close the door firmly behind him before smiling to herself. This could be more interesting that she first imagined and she went about making herself some lunch smiling all the while.


End file.
